


The Silence within the Stars

by sstasia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Death Eaters, F/M, Gen, Grey Bellatrix Black, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Not super graphic.. yet, Pre-First War with Voldemort, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:22:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28680306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sstasia/pseuds/sstasia
Summary: At the end of the day, you can't erase your pain.  There is nothing you can do that will change what has happened.  That doesn't make us any less of a family, and when it’s all over that's the best we can offer.1.) When the children of the Most Noble and Ancient House Black make it to Hogwarts, it seems the castle isn't quite ready for them.2.) Pureblood politics at it finest.  The scions of House Black begin to learn just exactly what it means to carry a name with so much weight.
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Narcissa Black Malfoy & Andromeda Black Tonks, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Regulus Black/Bartemius Crouch Jr., Sirius Black & Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Sirius Black/Bellatrix Black Lestrange
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	1. Celestial Cartography

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ages:**
> 
> Bellatrix: Born - 10/30/1959 _Scorpio_ (Year 1 through Year 3)  
> Sirius: Born - 11/7/1959 _Scorpio_ (Year 1 through Year 3)  
> Andromeda: Born - 8/12/1960 _Leo_ (Year 1 through Year 3)  
> Narcissa: Born - 8/25/1961 _Virgo_ (Year 1 through Year 2)  
> Regulus: Born - 2/23/1962 _Pisces_ (Year 1)

They’d been engaged since the moment he was born. 

A cradle contract, signed in _pure_ blood and all. 

He came wailing into this world eight short days after she, just a loud and perhaps a tad bit more irked. They shared the same atavistic bones since birth, dotted with silver eyes and a head of gleaming Black hair. There was something nearly transcendental in their symmetrical faces. They were a perfect set. A perfect match. 

The dog star and the warrior star. 

Pointing towards each other within the slate sky, her just ahead of him.

The tinge of his magic is one of her earliest memories. It mingled with hers as they lay side-by-side in the exorbitant trundle, memorizing one another - at least as much as infants can manage. Her connection to him felt different than that of hers with Druella, as though their magic was calling out to one another. 

Her magic mixed with Andromeda’s in nearly the same way too, and then with Narcissa after that. 

It never felt that way with Regulus. 

X. 

She’s leaning over the edge of an ornate cradle, hands sturdy along the railing eyes peering just above her knuckles to get a better glimpse at the babe within. 

Another baby sister. 

Truthfully, she doesn’t remember a time without Andromeda. Although, born months before her now middle sister, the dark haired girl has been with her since her very earliest of memories. 

Now, the Ancient and most Noble House of Black welcomes one more. 

One more daughter to strengthen allegiances, one more daughter to carry out the patrician family sigil. It’s too bad that Cygnus needed a son. He regards Narcissa for less than a moment, lip curling at her coloring before withdrawing from the room in a flutter of dark dress robes.

He mutters something along the lines of _’wife and failure.’_ but that part of the memory is far too foggy for Bella. 

Druella, for her part, seems most intrigued with their newest addition; a slender hand creeps in, lifting up a head with her same shade of blonde hair, a small smile on her seraphic face. Bellatrix and Andromeda step back from the cradle, watching her in intrigue, trying their hardest to get a better glimpse at the newest scion. 

“You could nearly be a Rosier little one.” Druella whispers into the youngest girl's downy curls, almost too silent for the other two to hear. 

Andy’s grip on Bella’s hand tightens. They’re far too young to know what their mother’s words truly mean, far too young for those words to hurt in the way they do. 

Bellatrix knows that very few things at this age. One of the few things that she does know is this: it doesn’t matter what Druella says in the silence of the nursery, or what perennial her mother decides to name her sister after, making it so she doesn’t dance along with them in the darkening sky. 

Narcissa will, without question, always be a Black. 

X.

The cheerful blue skies above appeared in brave juxtaposition shining through her grey melancholy eyes. 

Morning had long since passed, yet still, they laid tucked away in a bed of cool green grass. Her thick black curls swam above her in poor form, weaving along with those of her silver and brown haired sisters. They had been adrift in the clearing for sometime now, celebrating the stillness and lounging between the coasting clouds. 

The silence was nice for a change. 

The sounds of broken mirrors, banging doors, and the resounding crack of a hand against sharp cheekbones flashed through her mind at the notion. 

Quiet seemed something so hard to find these days. It’s essence consumed her only in the loneliest of places.. _the slithering of sheets, soft breaths felt along the curve of a young neck, the twisting of a door knob in the depth of darkness_ ..the kind of silence that she had buried so deeply within her now, that it was almost easy to forget if it really made any noise at all. 

Perhaps, our stars are supposed to be silent?

Narcissa made a soft gasp to her left, the eight year old pointed up at the clouds and whispered something to her sisters that only Andromeda seemed to understand. _Her sisters._

Lest she forget why she endures it all.

She joins them in their banter, certain to maintain her standing as (easily) the funniest of the three of them. It isn’t long before the warning grey skies swoop in, rolling over them like an omen. 

They shuffled to their feet, one hand of theirs in each of hers, before taking off back towards Ebony Estates, racing through the cool countryside. 

A smile firm on each of their faces. 

X. 

Her silver hairbrush feels cool against her palms, counting each even stroke that weaves through dark curls. 

Kreacher murmurs some nonsense in the corner of her expansive bedroom. He continues to shuffle about, setting up the fire and straightening out the bed linens. There’s no denying at this hour that his presence is a comfort.

She had neared 197 strokes when a subtle thud reverberated through the upstairs corridor. Ah, her cue at last.

She placed the hairbrush down against the mahogany surface of her vanity, taking a moment to admire the contrast between the deep cherry and sharp silver. 

“It’s time for you to go Kreacher.”

He gave pause at the comment. She could feel his hesitation from across the room, as though he was in the hopes that he had heard her incorrectly. 

She glanced up at her reflection then, staring at him through the mirror as imploringly as any ten year old could. 

_“Now.”_

He was gone with the snap of a finger, and he took the warmth of the room with him. 

Bellatrix started back at only herself now, as a new emptiness settled throughout the room. She closed her eyes and listened intently to the auspicious silence. A vision of her mother’s piercing blue eyes and yellow hair erupted along her eyelids in the ringing of the quiet. 

_“You deserve everything that happens to you.”_

A cold voice echoes, calling out to her from somewhere deep within her memories. 

When she opens her silver eyes again, it isn’t only her reflection in the mirror. 

He reeked of firewhiskey, pipe tobacco, and something so feral she wouldn’t be able to properly place the scent for several years to come. 

She looks down from him as soon as his dark eyes make contact with her own, once again distracting herself with the engraving on the silver hairbrush, _‘Toujours Pur’._

“My beautiful Bella.” 

She bites her tongue until it bleeds to keep from screaming. Harrowing silence. 

X.

Andromeda’s bed always seems so much warmer than hers.

She finds herself crawling in it at odd hours now, hushing her mere month’s younger sister as she snuggles beside her. Only now will she truly be able to slip into sleep.

Sometimes she wonders if Andy truly understands why she continues to seek refuge in the middle sisters bedroom. Sometimes she doesn’t want to wonder about that at all. 

The ‘I love you Bella’ sounds so different coming from Andromeda. 

Sounds like family. 

Sounds like _safe._

X.

They head Diagon Alley the forenoon after Andromeda’s eleventh birthday. She’d been eager to get her wand since Sirius showed them his - Dragon Heartstring, cloaked in an Ebony wood, 15 inches high, and made to be of Solid flexibility. 

_”He had me try Dogwood first, smashed the chandelier into the ceiling in one swing! Better be careful in there Bells!”_

It was beautiful. A gleaming work of magic. Druella had noted the wood was typically denoted to those with outstanding courage, and how oh-so fitting it seemed in the hand of a boy as rambunctious as her eldest nephew. 

Bellatrix didn’t think Sirius seemed rambunctious at all. Bellatrix thought Sirius seemed brave.

She and Andromeda fought not to bounce too eagerly down the street. Black’s were the most courteous after all - particularly Black ladies. 

Andy was always better at being courteous than she was. 

Cissa was the best between the three of them.

The wand shop was dark and much smaller than she anticipated. She eyed the room for a moment, taking in the dull lighting and dusty shelves before stepping up immediately to the counter, drawn to the wands beyond. She made it well known then that she has been waiting since October 30th to find her wand. 

Any attempt at protest from Andromeda was silenced with a quick glare from Druella, she did not want to prompt another rebuttal from her eldest regarding how ‘unfair it was that Sirius received his wand before she, given that she was clearly _days_ older.’ 

Ollivander was sure to wax on the pleasantries to each of the Black descendents, spending a careful amount of time greeting Mrs. Black herself. It did not go unnoticed by the two small girls how especially _kind_ (wary?) everyone seemed to treat their parents. 

_”Black’s command the respect of anyone in the room. Anytime. Anyplace.”_

“Perhaps Aspen?” The old man's draw pulled her attention to his shrew face immediately. He was shuffling about an array of slim boxes, seeming to understand the woods within merely by touch and not by reading the inscription on the encasing. 

“Yes, perhaps Aspen and Phoenix Feather. 11 inches lets say?” He turned before she had the chance to determine whether or not that had even been a question, giving her a quick one-up for size. “Unbending.” He finished, handing her a delicate box with a beautiful, nearly white wand resting inside. 

She glanced up at her mother quickly, searching for any source of approval in her heavily lidded eyes. She thought she saw something close to assent in their blueish gleam, affirmed, Bella’s reached for the fine wood. 

It was clear in one wave that this was not the piece for her. 

Nearly all of the boxes behind Mr. Ollivander seemed to fly from the walls, causing the old man to practically duck to avoid falling victim to a hasty projectile. He was able to hide his grimace, Bellatrix was not. 

Andromeda was in protest almost immediately, boxes still levitating in the air and all. 

“Bella’s going to break all the wands before I even get to try one!” Again, was quickly silenced by another powerful glower. 

“Certainly not that.” 

With a wave of his wand the boxes returned to their original destinations, each seemed to be nearly vibrating at the prospect of finding a match. “A powerful one indeed.” Ollivander noted, contemplating the rhythm each wand seemed to hold for her. 

“Perhaps Ebony for the Black scion but for this one..” Ollivander was mumbling to himself, taking a moment to toy between two boxes before opting to put them both back all together. 

“Surely Dragon Heartstring” He said firmly, making his way down to the other side of the near-neverending shelf. “Dragon Heartstring and certainly much longer. Yes, at least 12 inches. But what wood, what wood for the Black Princess.”

Bella and Andy’s eyes met briefly, noting the interesting title. 

He made his way back before her. Box in hand same as last time, with a spark of curiosity behind his spectacles. He placed it on the table before her gently, almost with a hint of reluctance to his mannerism. “Walnut, 12 ¾ inches, Dragon Heartstring Core, Unyielding.” He said the last word decisively, as though he was positive that this was the proper flexibility. 

She saw Mother nod approvingly out of the corner of her eye. Relief. 

With a deep breath she reached for the dark wood, and she knew.

It seemed the whole room did as well, the lights flickered slightly before brightening to a considerably preferable level. She sighed, doing her best to hide the lazy smirk her mother hated so much from making an appearance. 

“You are an inventor Ms. Black” Mr. Ollivander interrupted the silence. 

Her eyes turned to him with a questioning gaze and he gestured towards the wand nestled securely in her left hand. “It is an incredibly powerful wand, Walnut and Dragon Heartstring, Ms. Black. There is no doubting you’ll do remarkable things with a tool like that, there’s certain to be much to come of you.” 

_Thank you?_

Andromeda was beside her before she had a chance to rebuttal, nearly begging Ollivander to match her with a wand just as well. 

He went in circles again, rummaging from shelf to shelf this time climbing to an entirely different level than he had with Bellatrix. 

He first brought her a flexible wand, with Unicornhair and Holly wood. Druella frowned at the mention, unnoticed, of course, by Andromeda. She waved the wand swiftly with her right hand, aiming it somewhere behind Ollivander and knocking nearly half as many boxes from the shelves as Bellatrix had. 

Bella couldn’t help but snicker at her sister’s eagerness, it seemed foolish given that she was now appeased herself. Andy side-eyed her dramatically, and she felt Druella’s firm hand on her shoulder. She tensed immediately, all laughter dead on her lips. 

“Perhaps this..” Ollivander was back again, this time with Hawthorn and Unicornhair, pilant in flexibility and 12 ½ inches in length. Andy seemed to recognize the wand just as Bella had, giving it a gentle wave causing the boxes she had just knocked over to return back to the original homes.

“Another powerful piece.” Ollivander concluded, seeming to have less to say about Andy’s match. Druella released her grip on Bellatrix at the statement, walking up beside her sister to observe the wand herself. 

“Hawthorn is a complex wood Andromeda,” she started, drawing the younger girl's attention up to her and away from her new extension. “Typically falls to those with proven talent, you’d do well to remember that.” 

The command was clear, and Bellatrix could see the dampening of Andromeda’s face almost immediately. Shoulder’s more slumped than a Black should ever carry them. 

“Your wands prettier than mine anyway.” She whispered as they made their way down to Madam Malkins following the purchase. 

Andy’s smile was genuine now. 

X.

She hears her parents fighting outside her doorway late one night. 

Breath caught in her throat, eyes squeezed shut as if that would make any of it go away. 

She can't make out what they’re saying, and is far too afraid to get any closer. She can recognize the hush of frantic whispers, and she definitely recognizes the sound of her father’s hand against her mother’s faultless face, her body staggering against the wall on the other side of the hallway in a resounding thud. 

Mother relents. 

Bellatrix breaks. 

X. 

Platform 9 ¾ quarters proved to be a bit more magical than Mother had made it out to be, in his eleven year old opinion at least. Walburga condoned anything that had any slight muggle resemblance to it, Sirius supposed that extended to even enchanted trains. 

He and his cousins are _fortunate_ enough to take up an entire compartment on said enchanted train.. Something about Black blood seemed to be keeping anyone with the proper breeding a respectful distance away from the three of them.

For some reason he’s anxious. Judging by the magic jumping off of his eldest cousin he supposes he isn’t the only one. 

“We’ll do this together right?”

Sirius looks at her almost confused by the statement, trying to determine if silver eyes are squinting in either mock playfulness or shining in genuine concern. 

“What do you mean Bells?” 

She fumbles with her elegant dress robes for a moment, sparing a glance at the door checking to see when Andromeda will be back from the loo.

“I don’t know..” She starts, glancing down at her new polished shoes suddenly, denying to meet his questioning gaze.

He’s next to her in a moment, grabbing her hand nervously before giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“We do everything together.” 

She smiles at that, and now he knows he can identify relief in her light grey gaze. 

He is seated across from her and she is back to looking poise and resolute when Andy finally returns to their compartment on the train. 

_Together._

X.

Hogwarts is miraculous. The mysterious walls whisper all sorts of playful promises, the thrill of adventure practically sizzled in the air, magic abound. Miraculous. 

The sorting was supposed to be miraculous as well. Three Black students all ushered off together, one by one. Yet, it was entirely ruined by really the simplest of utterances: 

_Gryffindor!_

A lion trailing behind two snakes, tail between his legs.

A part of Bellatrix, one of the pieces she’d learn by now to hush away, is somewhat relieved she went before he. 

A part of her is relieved that she didn’t get the chance to follow him.

A part of her isn’t so sure that she ‘certainly wouldn’t have.’ 

She continues to keep those parts quiet. 

X. 

Nights are much easier in the castle. She dismisses nightmares as ‘firstie fears’ and the other girls don’t seem to give her too much grief over it. 

Nights are safe here, for her and for Andromeda. 

Most nights she worries about Narcissa. Worries about what it’s like to be in that house all alone, and not just lonely together. 

She vaguely remembers her father once mentioning to Aunt Walburga about how he ‘much preferred dark haired witches to light.’ 

Perhaps a bit of a concerning statement to share with one's sister. But no matter, she supposes that it means that more than likely Narcissa was safe. 

She also supposes, that perhaps her dark hair is just another reason why mother hates her as well. 

X. 

As expected, Quidditch proves easy for her to master. Pureblood perquisite. She’d been navigating a broomstick since she began toddling across the Estate. 

Her position as a Slytherin Chaser is also expected. 

Sirius earning a position as one of Gryffindor’s star beaters is most definitely not. 

He and almost all of his new little friends have managed spots on the Gryffindor team - a pack full of blood traitors. Rodolphus loves reminding their team of this. 

“A pack of firsties, against us? I can’t wait to get a beater bat in my hand - hope these lion cubs won’t miss their teeth all too much.”

or,

“I’ll aim for the halfbreed first.”

The anticipation for the exposé that is certain to be the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match gnaws at her for weeks.

It seems the whole stadium is calling for ‘Black’ and neither are truly certain which one. Andromeda remains high in the stands waving a large Slytherin banner and calling out as well. Perhaps she knows which one after all. 

She manages 90 points herself before the snitch is caught. 

He never aimed a single bludger at her. Not even once. 

Slytherin won. 

X. 

She writes Narcissa every week. 

Little things. Soft sonnets she knows her baby sister just loves, secrets she’s learned about the stars, and small hints hiding in Hogwarts hallways - waiting just for Cissy!

Andromeda writes her too. 

They send their letters together, using the owl gifted to them by Orion in late August. They had named her Moirae.

Andromeda never tells her of the stories she shares with Cissa, but Bella has seen enough to know she signs her name not in script, but with a constellation. Clever. 

X. 

Yule is looming, and with it comes the Winter Hiatus. 

She learned about the restricted section at some point early First Year. It has yet to prove useful, but she is nothing if not persistent. 

Cloaked in darkness and determination, she had been able to avoid being found out by lovely little Filch for some time now. No surprise that she can out-smart the stinkin’ Squib her first year. 

The poltergeist is perhaps a different story. Luckily, it seems Peeves has taken a liking to her in one way or another. Perhaps because they shared a certain _proclivity_ for catastrophe. Though, she did always try not to laugh when he spilled ink down the back of Andy’s newly pressed robes. 

The Eve before break she comes across an interesting piece of literature. It outlines the details of a wizarding castration, steps, spells and all. 

She considers it. Really she does. Dread sinks in her stomach at the thought of performing it wrong, at the thought of him knowing exactly what she was attempting to do and all the suffering that would come for it. 

_I will not let you hurt my sisters._

The book rests comfortably back on the shelf while she rushes to lock the gate quietly. She has taken off down the elusive hallways and back towards the dungeons faster than a house ghost. The cold a known comfort throughout her flight. 

X.

Sirius isn’t sure exactly how it came up. The boys had asked about his family enough times to know that there were more of them than the two stunning Slytherins who spared the lot of them nothing but dirty looks all term long. 

He supposes they never asked directly about his engagement. 

James seems to understand. Pureblood politics and all the _prizes_ that come with them being something he too has had a brush with. Things were certainly a bit more scrupulous when you’re a family of the oh so virtuous Sacred Twenty-Eight. 

Peter and Remus do not at all understand. 

“But she’s your cousin!?” 

“And she _hates_ you!” 

He can’t stop the glare he shoots at both of them. He’s been really trying to work through his temper lately, but sticking himself in a house full of natural born hot-heads has seemed to really call upon an exceptionally explosive atmosphere. Nearly as explosive as the oh so noble and ancient house he grew up in.

“She doesn’t hate me.” He starts, taking a deep breath before sitting down and giving the most benign explanation to the blood purity disquisitions he grew up essentially memorizing. 

_She doesn’t hate me._

X. 

It’s the end of First Year, and she’s sitting in the Headmaster’s office for now the third time. Third. Her Great, Great, Great Uncle Phineas seems to have a slight twinkle in his silver eyes, eyes so much like her own. She’s seen him in the portrait at Ebony Estates only a handful of times. She always thinks he looks far grander here. She supposes he more than likely won't be able to get her out of trouble this time. 

She can’t help but feel that if perhaps it wasn’t mindless McGonagall that caught her in the act in the first place then she would hardly be getting in any trouble at all. Professor Slughorn adores her after all - she made sure of it. Not to mention that he is her Head of House!

“Do you realize,” the Headmaster started, staring down at her from his position propped sideways against his desk. Analyzing her. “The very effects a potion such as this can bestow upon an individual?” 

_Of course._ She thinks, doing her best to hide an audible scoff.

She reads him before she answers, pooling her mind to best determine the proper way to get out of a situation like this. 

“No sir,” She starts, eyes widening in a way Andromeda had always done so well, “I believed it was a Blemishing Blitzer, I only realized my mistake after Professor McGonagall stepped in.” 

It was a foolish lie. Her skin was porcelain, clear for all to see. Luckily McGonagall jumped up before Dumbledore had the chance to rebuttal. 

“And a good thing I had too!” The witch's shrill voice rang out somewhere behind Bella. “If I hadn’t the consequences would’ve been nothing short of severe!”

Bella winced at the silence that lingered following that. A severe consequence had been exactly what she was going for. 

“You are a very smart girl, Ms. Black,” Dumbledore begins again, sharing the briefest of glances with Professor Mindless before continuing, “are you sure you had no indication of the influence that comes along with the consumption of this particular brew?” 

Well, the name was Baneberry after all.

“No Sir.” She goes to meet his eye at the statement, doing her best to push sincerity to the surface, but his gaze is probing and why does it hurt? She looks away quickly, breaking the eye contact and shaking her thoughts away. 

He seemed intrigued by her reaction to his stare. 

“Well,” He begins again, looking beyond her shoulder to the instructors behind her. “As it be, Professor McGonagall let us all be grateful that you were, in fact, stopping by to see Professor Slughorn at exactly the proper moment.” 

McGonagall bristled again, almost gearing up as if she had more to say before the Headmaster continued on. 

“Horace, being that you are Ms. Black’s Head of House as well as our Potions Professor here at Hogwarts. I will exalt any punishment for elixir embezzlement to your administration.”

Professor Slughorn seemed to hesitate at the declaration as well, eyes drifting to the far too young girl sitting before and the vial of Baneberry that lay in almost display on the Headmaster’s desk. 

“If you will, Ms. Black.” Dumbledore motioned to the door and with reckless relief Bellatrix pushed out her chair, far too eager to escape the circular questioning. 

McGonagall scoffed aloud again, spinning out of the room in a flurry of robes. Professor Slughorn followed Bella out, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as he led her back to his office for further conversation. 

She did her best not to look back at the vial that promised security to her less than an hour ago. 

It seems she’d have to find another way to eradicate her father. 

X.

Druella was unapproachable, Cygnus was absent, and Narcissa was _safe._

It seems not so much has changed.

The same goes for her nights spent in Ebony Estates. 

Her cousin’s are spending the summer in the South of France - the Rosier side that is. They ended up joining them in Plage des Marinières in early July. Her nights became much quieter after that. Still she managed to sneak away to Andy’s bed at the hour of the ghost; despite being younger, Andy always felt secure to Bella, Andy always kept her rooted.

Mother, Father, and the Rosier's talk in hushed whispers about a pureblood push. A crescive campaign. The parents sit and dwell on a Dark Lord. The children play. 

They were home month-end. Another trip to Diagon Alley for supplies, another sister to finally get herself a wand. 

_Rowan. Unicornhair. 10’¾”. Supple._

A perfect fit for the gentlest of the Black Princesses. Druella is quick to announce how proud she is of the match. ”Certain to have another **Slytherin** in the mix with a wand like that!”

The comment stings a bit even though it wasn’t aimed at Bella. 

She had missed Sirius all summer long. 

She misses him still. 

X.

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Regulus looks up at him with pleading eyes. Sirius’s heart constricts in his chest at his little brother’s gaze. _Just one more year Reg._ He thinks, trying not to imagine a life alone with Walburga and Orion. He shudders, and suddenly he’s grateful that Kreature has been spending less and less time at Ebony Estates and more and more time in London as of late. Little bugger. 

“It’ll be okay Reg.” 

He gives his brother a side armed hug before turning back to his trunk, tucking in a red tie on top of spare dress robes.

 _He’ll be okay._

X.

The bustle of the train buzzes in congruence with her sisters magic as they laugh on about the cabin. It’s the three of them now, and Moirae of course. Sirius opted to sit with his Gryffindor colleagues as opposed to his family. _Not that, that mattered to Bellatrix at all._

Cissa seemed to have once again accrued every question under the stars and then some. All mainly centered about the castle, the common room, and of course the library. 

”More books than even our own?” She gasped, as though it were truly unfathomable.

Bella entertains her antics only because she too can hardly hide her excitement. _Freedom at last._ Andy seems at ease as well, wrapping an arm around her younger sister and kicking Bella to answer each of her nagging inquiries, as though she hadn’t answered them all already at some point throughout the long summer. 

“Do you guys ever…” Narcissa starts, trailing off as she glances between the two sisters pensively, “Do you see Sirius at all?” She turned to Bellatrix fully now, eyes full of hope and shining with innocence. Bella isn’t sure why the question hurt so much to begin with. 

“Sometimes.” She whispers, her stare turning to the floor and to her shining shoes, inspecting for scuffs that couldn’t possibly be there with the way Kreature and Wynn-Wynn had buffed them out the evening before. 

_Not enough._

Something inside her whispers but she can’t bear to entertain why. 

X. 

Sirius watches his youngest cousin waltz up to the sorting hat with all the grace a Black should carry. For as innocent as she may appear, he and his family all know of a certain sharpness that lies behind those wide blue eyes. It’s no surprise at all when the hat calls out a decisive-

“Slytherin!”

-and a whole table clad in green erupts in a storm of cheers. He does his best to try not to glance at his eldest cousin when it does, he really tries. Not out of spite, but out of urge to quiet the nagging ache that overcomes his gut each time he spies his family in these hallways sporting their emerald robes. 

_He misses them._

It’s a frightening thought. 

He loves his friends, truly, he would be lost without the three of them. That doesn’t change the fact that he and his cousins share something that few and far between can truly grasp. They share a family. A draconian, stringent, _pureblood_ family that has had their lives mapped out for them since their first day in the bassinet. 

Celestial cartography at it’s finest.

Silver eyes dare to meet his own across a sea of students. He can’t help the grin that overtakes his face at their silent reunion. He is more than surprised when she returns the smile, mirth dancing across her darling features if only for a moment. 

The ache is still there. 

X.

They share Transfiguration this year. McGonagall seems hardly able to keep her gaze off any of the cousins, but Ms. Mindless seems to have a particular vested interest in herself and Siri this time about. 

Must be that she isn’t the only second year one stirring up trouble in these castle walls as of late. Interesting. 

She asks Peeves one evening sometime after the Start-of-Term-Feast if he ever sees her cousin out and about around the castle. 

“Are we referring to the dapper one or the one who looks potentially canine?” He doesn’t give her a chance to respond before explaining to her that both describe the same good-looking yet mangy boy. 

“Yes those goons are ‘out and about.’ I’ve spied him, looney, loopy Lupin, Peter the eater, and lame, dame James in these hallways more than I’d care to admit!” he rants on then, about filthy Filch and stupid students. 

She doesn’t listen as he goes on talking about the moon and the correlation it shares with the sneaky second years, she’s too busy laughing over the nickname he seemed to have bestowed upon her dearest cousin.

X.

She met Amelia Bones the third week of First Year. She determined that she was a good enough candidate to become friends with about a quarter into their Second. 

They both tied for top marks as fellow firsties. Rather than rallying up some silly little rivalry, Bellatrix felt there was much to be benefited from having someone like Amelia in her corner. She had her own healthy level of respect for the Ravenclaws afterall. 

She certainly hadn’t expected they would get on so well. 

Apparently, Ravenclaws too had their own sort of penchant when it came to rounding up mischief. _Who would’ve thought?_

They were both the brains and the bravery behind each of their operations - careful to leave Cissy and Andy out of their antics, at least most of the time. 

Truly, it is near incredible that they hadn’t gotten caught in one of their schemes until close to the end of second year.

This time it wasn’t something as elementary as simply hexing the desserts in the Great Hall to turn Professor Dawlish’s hair a violent shade of purple; or releasing a pack of singing toads throughout the North Tower to avoid another miserable day in Divination class. No. This time they somehow managed to almost put someone's life in peril. That someone, of course, being none other than her darling cousin.

Sirius sat beside them, practically mopping the floor with water from the Black Lake. He was disgruntled (understandably) but he also seemed a bit.. Apprehensive? Odd. 

In her and Amelia's defense, they had no idea that the Selkie could be so aggressive, or that Sirius would actually take her up on the offer to race. Truly, the boy could be so dense. Did he really think she was about to get her curls wet just to prove a point? 

Red, Blue, and Green all sat facing the very cross Headmaster, with Professor Kettleburn still panting somewhere behind the pack of them. 

At this rate, she was going to be expelled before even having the chance to become Quidditch Captain.

 _Make me proud won’t you? My beautiful Bella._

She was uttering apologies before the Headmaster had a chance to even begin. She’d take a thousand detentions over any more time spent at home. 

She saw the disappointment in his looming gaze, as he stared down at her over those small spectacles. 

For some odd reason, it stung. 

X. 

She sees Sirius in the hallways often. He avoids her less now, or perhaps it’s the other way around.

She hates to admit how she misses him. They practically grew up together, and now it just seems strange that they hardly speak. 

Almost as strange as it is to see the ends of his black hair tucked into a red scarf, or the silver in his eyes peeking out behind a red hat. 

She used to love the color red. 

X. 

They speak for the first time again that summer. The girls are spending a portion of the Holiday at Grimmauld place, as was customary. 

He holds in his surprise when she refers to him as, _delirious Sirius no doubt part amphibious._

They talk about Peeves and his antics the rest of the evening. Swapping names and tales as though they’ve been writing each other for ages and not avoiding one another like a bad case of Scrofungulus.

She didn’t realize a part of her had been missing until she awakes the next morning. 

Her sisters seem to feel a difference as well. Walburga is cold, Orion is distant, but between the five of them they hardly notice at all. Her aunt and uncle speak velmently about a new movement. More pureblood prophecy. The noting of a ‘Dark Lord’ again catches her attention. 

Reggie is so excited that it’s finally his turn to be free, he bugs Narcissa nearly each hour. Begging for more stories and secrets. 

There is a certain wholeness when they are all together. When they are all _safe._

Father takes it away again though, some evening in late August, just before first term. 

X.

Regulus sits at the Slytherin table tall and proud. He is grinning from ear to ear as he shares a hug with Narcissa. 

The smile doesn’t reach his eyes. 

She spares a glance at her cousin, scanning through the rubbish red to try and meet his eye with the pack of other Gryffindor Third Years.

He makes a point to keep his gaze elsewhere. 

And suddenly, summer seems lightyears away. 

X. 

She makes Captain this year. 

The youngest in ages, or so they say. 

Her first declaration is to appoint Regulus as the team's new lead seeker. Several seem to protest at the notion, Lucius in particular throws quite a fit at her youngest cousin's new title - she moves Lucy to a Chaser position right at her side. 

“We do well as a team.” She tells him, ignoring the name he calls her under his breath. She won’t forget it, but she needs her players in premier shape this season, for now. 

They manage 150 points there own the next game before Reggie even has the chance to spot the snitch. 

No one argues with her after that. Not even Rod. 

X. 

Andy and Bella are racing through the hallways. Teasing some mudblood they just learned was named Lily - mindful not to make any jokes too mocking of flowers. Narcissus are prettier than lilies are anyways, and they certainly smell much better.

They wander out into the courtyard, Amelia joining in on the fun to see what trouble the Black sisters have managed to dig up at this early hour of the day. 

Three purebloods v. one mudblood. Hardly a fair fight. 

Talk of dirty blood sparks the interest of several passerbyers, and a mentioning of a ‘Dark Lord’ calls in even more eyes to the scene. 

She sees the boy she’s come to recognize as James begin to step up to the plate. An, oh so brave lion ready to set into the snake pit. She pretends not to notice when Sirius stops him. 

Some girl named Marlene comes to poor little Lily’s aid. She and Andy only decide to relent because they recognize her as one of Cissy’s little second year friends.

 _Only for family._

X. 

Defense against the Dark Arts has finally proved interesting this year. 

She and Andy share the class with Sirius and his group of misfits. Someone seemed to refer to them as a Marauders the other week? He’s certainly getting weirder with age. 

Professor Scrimgeour, usually reserved and rigid, has an excited gleam in his eye as he teaches the class about the importance of the spell ‘riddikulus’. 

Bellatrix had learned about boggarts years ago, she, Cissa, and Andy had been practically babies when they were introduced to their first wizarding tudor. They were certainly not babies when they witnessed the father murder him for daring to broach muggle subjects with the girls. Walburga had more than eagerly helped him find a new instructor after that. _Black’s are well above that type of behavior. You’d do well to remember that girls._

She tunes back in when he asks the class to stand and clear their desks as he fumbles with the standing wardrobe he just revealed in the middle of the room.

And suddenly it’s as though she forgot how to breath. 

X. 

Andy’s heart sinks the moment she recognizes her father's tall figure slip out of the wardrobe her sister now stood in front of. _No._

She doesn’t quite recognize him, all bleary eyed and in his night clothes of all things. The Black family crest stands proud along the satin pocket of his evening robe. 

Anyone of proper breeding would recognize it. 

She is for the first time grateful to be sharing half the class with unkempt blood. 

She misses the look panic Sirius shares with them, anxiety writ across his features. She’s up and beside her sister before she even has a chance to mumble the phrase ‘riddikulus’, Bella still fumbling with her wand eyes glued to the boggart before her. 

The beast in question transforms into an all too familiar tapestry, a large whole in it where a familiar face should be, the rest of her family remains staring back at Andromeda in disdain. If possible, Bella tense even more at the shift, turning to stare at her sister with an expression Andy’s only seen on her sister’s face late at night before her eyes disappear behind their heavy lids. 

She tries to catch her as she falls, doing her best to ignore the tapestry calling her and reaching out for her collapsing sibling. She’s lucky Sirius is there before she hits the floor.

Andy feels sick... Sick. Sick. Sick. 

She’s not sure why. 

Sirius moves for the door, a crumpled Bella wrapped up in his arms pressed close against his chest. 

Scrimgeour shouts something to the rest of the class about coming back after study hours that evening to try their hand at the nasty creature. Andy can hardly hear him over the ringing in her ears. 

He follows them to the hospital wing, sending a Patronus to Madame Winger alerting her of the happenstance before their arrival.

His Patronus is a vulture. 

X.

They make fun of her for weeks. 

_”Brave Bellatrix Black bested by a boggart - blasphemy!”_

Her house is surprised, she was always the best of them after all. Her and the rest of the Black cavalcade. Their superiority complex was at the very least, well earned. 

She takes her classmates' reaction as a good sign. Figures none of them would have the gall to reference it at all if they knew what it actually meant. 

Andy seems particularly distant following the mishap. That worries her. 

She requests a meeting with the Headmaster before he gets the chance to call on her. Swaying Slughorn to _’please allow her a word with the so very astute Headmaster.’._ The Professor relents immediately. 

Sometimes, she wasn’t sure why her parents rely on the Imperious curse so much. 

X.

It’s been three years, and she hasn’t found a solution yet. 

Perhaps the answer has always been easier than she thought. Perhaps it was less malevolent than she thought. 

She asks him then, poised in his office with a warm cup of tea in her small hands. 

“Is there anyway that perhaps **we** could stay in the castle for the summer? Just us three?”

She waxes on about how much her magical ability has transformed since starting here, and what a difference it would make if she could continue that practice long into the summer months, what a difference it would make for her Andy and Cissy! She is very clear when explaining how polite and polished she and her sisters already are, details her promises to cause not a single disturbance the entire time, and even fortifies that she and her sister will be certain to abide by curfew and all other rules and requests without question. 

She doesn’t go into detail about the challenges they face at home, very crucial omittances throughout her homily. 

There are some things she knows she needs to keep quiet about. 

The Professor turned Headmaster looks at her imploringly, he’s studying her, watching her mannerism, enjoying her esoteric vocabulary. She recognizes the amusement in his face, knows of the impending denial before he speaks it into fruition. 

He too, waxes on about unfair advantages and special treatment. 

She bites her lip, debating a heinous thought as he speaks. 

He surprises her then. The conversation turns and suddenly he has a vexed interest in a certain ‘dark lord’ she’s already heard so much about. Questions for her and her family specifically. 

“Perhaps you’ll find we can help each other, Ms. Black.”

X.

He agreed to take her under his tutelage once a month. Teach her more advanced forms of magic, things she can share with her sisters on weekends, _’the best way to learn is to teach.’_

This is not at all what she aspired for. 

She attends nonetheless, perhaps mother would be proud she was receiving private tutorship from the esteemed headmaster. She suspects that mother would more than likely approve that she weaseled her way into his regard than anything else. Proud was difficult to come by in her noble and ancient house. 

She notices rather quickly that they spend far more time analyzing magical morality throughout these lesson than performing any actual magic at all.

So, what’s the point? 

In a roundabout way, he asks her to spend her summer gathering small tidings in relation to the wizard he explained to her was once known as Tom Riddle. She pauses, thousands of questions and implications floating through her mind.

He doesn't give any further detail, but his expectations are clear. 

X.

The ‘Dark Lord’ becomes more than just a omen, now he’s a name. 

That summer, he becomes a face too. 

X.

Andy refuses to ask her sister about the boggart. That doesn’t change the fact that Cygnus’s seedy look has haunted her for months since. 

She knew it in her heart long before the beings display. 

She wonders how much Druella knows. Her mother’s disregard of her two eldest suddenly stings with ringing ramification. _Gods, Bella._

Cissy asks about it once. 

Speaking not to Bella, of course, but whispering to Andy in the courtyard on a rainy spring day. Andy hushes her almost immediately, grip strong on her little sister wrist before telling Cissa to never _ever_ bring it up again, least of all when they are home.

It won’t be until she sits with her own daughter in her arms, years later, that Andy registers just how atrocious it all really was. How positively nefarious a father could be, the callousness in her mother’s heart, something had always been so very _wrong_ with them, and her whole life she dismissed it as _normal._

Only then would it make much more sense why she felt so sick, sick, sick. 

X.


	2. The Bureaucracy of Black Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ages:**
> 
> Bellatrix: Fourteen - Sixteen (Year 4 through Year 5)  
> Sirius: Fourteen - Sixteen (Year 4 through Year 5)  
> Andromeda: Fourteen - Fifteen (Year 4 through Year 5)  
> Narcissa: Twelve - Thirteen (Year 3 through Year 4)  
> Regulus: Twelve - Thirteen (Year 2 through Year 3)

They spend the first half of the summer at Uncle Alphard’s. 

Given that he was the direct line, and the first married, Ebony Estates fell to Cygnus when grandfather Pollux passed. Not long after, Bellatrix was welcomed into this aristocratic world, she and her sisters grew up in the large mansion just outside of Tutshill. Aunt Walburga inherited Grimmauld Place, another Black chattel, in contract with her marriage to Orion. 

Uncle Alphard opted to live in the old seaside home, much further north than Ebony Estates, somewhere out near Holyhead. 

It was the five of them again. 

The five of them, Uncle Alphard and Great Aunt Cassie. Cassiopeia chose to live with Alphard in her later years, determined to move near the sea upon Pollux demise rather than remaining in the Eb with Cygnus and his growing family.

Bella often wished she chose to stay with them. She thinks, perhaps, she understands why she didn’t.

The summer starts sweet. 

Cousins spending time rolling out in the soft sand and swimming in a stinging sea. Sirius was distant at first, bristling at comments made by his serpent cousins and quick to share a scathing retort when warranted. 

Cautious animosity broke way to tepid teasing soon enough. 

It took him a few days, and the _gentle_ prodding of a Great Aunt, before he too was wreaking havoc under the summer sun with the rest of the young teens. 

For this she was grateful. 

Bella was also beholden that he seemed to spend a careful amount of time lounging beneath the stars with her specifically. Both catching up with one another and of course all the mischief that was missed. 

She finds herself laughing perhaps a bit more than she should, she finds his eyes lingering perhaps a bit more than they should, as well. 

House rivalries belonged at Hogwarts, not Holyhead. 

After all, what does red or green matter when their whole world is basically Black.

X.

Bellatrix knows about Great Aunt Dorea. 

She knows that she wed a Potter. _Another relative who somehow managed to marry outside of the twenty-eight pre-approved pureblood families._ Even at the age of fourteen, Bella knew this to be far graver than simply donning a different House color - at least in their family's eyes. 

Sirius explains to her how he sometimes views James as his family too, joking that in one way or another, he really is like a cousin to them. 

There’s an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach at the declaration. 

“So you feel the same way about James.. that you feel about me?” 

She glances over at him then, legs hugged into her chest, the question burning in her heart. He straightens at her words, turning to look her directly in the eyes before asking- 

“Do you feel the same way about Evan Rosier, that you feel about me?” 

_No._

Silver meets silver, both an equally heated stare with such unanswered yearning behind it. 

Had she spoken aloud? 

And then, he is on her in an instant. 

She wonders how long he’s been kissing her before she realizes exactly what’s happening. Bellatrix responds with the utmost eagerness once her mind clicks into place. She feels a smile curve against her lips. 

Something in her heart sings, ringing out into the silence. 

X.

Their time at Holyhead ends far too soon. They take the Floo home, Andromeda and her sisters back to The Eb, while Sirius and Regulus return to London. 

For some reason, some part of her feels as though she may cry. 

Andy kisses Great Aunt Cassiopeia on both cheeks. Remembering her aunt's reassuring words and appreciative as ever for her advice. 

_Family is as permanent as the stars are hanging in the sky. Overtime, some may fall, but at the end of the day, we love them all the same._

Saying adieu to her cousins seems much harder than it should be. They had crafted such a clear consanguinity these past few weeks, she wasn’t ready to have to say goodbye to that as well. 

She doesn’t miss the way Sirius and Bella seem to hold each other for almost too long in parting. Doesn’t miss the fragmented look upon their features as lighting blazes green with the hum of a flame. 

Family is forever.

Shortly after they return home, Cygnus introduces her, Bella, and Cissy to a man he refers to as the ‘Dark Lord.’ For a long while she thought this man to be nothing short of a foolish fable. 

She learns just how wrong she was about that assumption. 

X.

Fourth year starts like any other. 

Bellatrix enjoys the feast and festivities, she continues to spare glances with her red clad cousin and share jokes with the green garbed Quidditch team. 

Not much has changed at the Slytherin table; Severus, quiet as ever, pokes at his plate and groans into his goblet. Barty and Reggie both sneak off before even the ghosts arrive. Rod and Rabastan remain the loudest of the bunch, doing their best not to elicit any unnecessary fighting in any capacity, no surprise there, and _oh_ Lucius Malfoy seems to take a newfound interest in baby Cissa. 

Bella and Andy both suppress a grimace when their eyes meet after he not so subtly takes their baby sister's hand into his own. _Yuck._

Neither seem to be aware that they are both secretly shooting him death glares every few bites or so. 

She finds Amelia some point after the feast, Andy running off to meet Merlin knows who, and Cissa walking back to the common room with a blushing Lucius. _Salazar’s sake he’s a fifth year Cissy!_

She and Amelia stash away somewhere up in the Astronomy Tower, swapping stories from the summer months. She wants to tell Amelia about Sirius. She doesn’t. 

Dumbledore summons her within the first week. 

They discuss the frivolity of her findings. She tells him enough. Leaving out her family’s growing endorsement and enchantment with this Dark Lord. Leaving out the ember of intrigue the man in question seemed to stoke within her as well. 

He seems disappointed but he doesn’t push. Not at her mind nor at her words. 

She dreams of her father again that night. Wakes up screaming and wondering when these nightmares will finally stop haunting her the way he does when she is home. 

Andy gives her some Dreamless Draught. 

She doesn’t ask where she got it, let alone why she has it. 

X. 

She hears Thorfinn and Rodolphus fighting in the common room late one evening about which of the Black sister’s is the most beautiful. 

She makes each of them do thirty extra throws across the Quidditch field next practice. 

Perhaps it would’ve been more if they hadn’t agreed it was her. 

X. 

Andromeda writes Cassiopeia near weekly now. Her aunt gives her answers without judgement or reprove. It’s refreshing. In part, it almost feels scandalizing.

She asks her a lot of questions about the family history, things that she is far too afraid to ever inquire about before her father. 

This is how she first learns of an Uncle Marius. Cassiopeia is of the same mind as the rest of her family on few things, muggle borns being the ones responsible for stealing Uncle Marius’s magic being one of them. 

Andromeda smiles in the Owlery before jotting down another constellation on a bit of worn parchment. 

_Perhaps not every branch of the Black tree is broken._

X. 

They hadn’t spoken since the summer. Count her lucky stars that they both managed to land themselves in the same detention within the first few weeks back at Hogwarts. _Figures._

It’s almost comical that her family expects both she and Sirius to be Head Girl and Boy in just three short years. Another thing Bellatrix is begrudgingly grateful to Headmaster Dumby about - he doesn’t send discipline reports to parents or guardians. 

Small favors. 

At this point in their schooling, A History of Magic, certainly seemed the least important class to be had. That’s not to say she didn’t still outdo nearly every other Ravenclaw and Slytherin she shared the course with (Amelia, of course, being the one exception), but she found the entire curriculum to be a dreadful waste of time. 

_After all, who cares about the impact and implications felt by Muggle’s throughout the 1752 Goblin Rebellion?_

She’s certain her cousin is of the same mind. 

They sit desks away as they write lines for Professor Binns. Her’s reading something in the likes of: _I will appreciate and acknowledge the impact muggle borns had in wizarding history._

Courtesy of a rather rude and entirely unintentional comment she let escape in class the other day. Rodolphus found it funny enough, Professor Binns did not. It take everything in her small Black soul to not trade their word ‘muggle born’ for ‘mudblood’ as she jots across the page. 

She can’t make out her cousin's assignment from this far away. 

In another not so surprising turn of events she finishes her lines first. Leaving her with the unfortunate conundrum of deciding whether it was worth it to wait on Sirius and finally catch up, or to do as she should and head back to the Slytherin common room. 

Considering her cousin the lost cause he made himself out to be when he opted into those red robes, she chooses to head back to the dungeons. 

She’s as far as six steps into the corridor before she pauses.

Bellatrix can hear him shuffling in the room she just vacated, saying hasty promises to Professor Binns about disrupting class before he seems to be fleeing into the aisle as well. 

He seems genuinely surprised to find her floating in the middle of the hall, body turned to the door he just burst out of. 

“Black,” Professor Binns starts from inside the well lit classroom, both of their attention immediately commanded by his use of their surname. “Back to your dormitories now, the both of you. It’s near after-hours.” 

She’s still a bit frozen when Sirius shuts the door in acknowledgment of Professor Binns request. He is quick on his feet and just when it registers that he is merely about to brush by her a large hand darts out and grabs her wrist. 

Sirius is practically dragging her through castle corridors, and then up and up so many flights of stairs. She knows she should protest, each step reminding her of the long and tedious walk it will be to get back down to her dormitory. Yet… 

Her heart is thundering in her ears, and she can’t help the wondering smile that erupts on her face the minute he moves his hand from around her wrist into her own. 

They must’ve reached at least the seventh floor when he finally slowed his pace, pulling her into the shadows for a moment to catch their breath, hand lingering on her either of her sides. 

She heard the groan of a moving staircase somewhere to her left. Before she could demand to know ‘exactly what in the hell they were doing up here’ the voice to her left called out some bizarre word to a fairly large portrait, with a fairly large lady on the forefront. The corpulent countess then proceeded to swing the portrait in question, unveiling a large and spacious room of red behind it. Her eyes widened. 

“Your dormitory Sirius!” a hushed shriek was followed by a good smack square on his shoulder. He reacted faster than she expected, lifting an arm to catch her own while pulling her against him with a hand covering her lips

She had half a mind to aim a bat bogey hex his way, to remind him just exactly _who_ he was dealing with. 

“Just wait.” He hissed. 

He peered over her head to examine the ideally empty hallway now. 

Since when had he been so much taller than she? Since when had he smelled this pleasant? 

She was suddenly all too aware of how close their bodies were to each other, of how different his hand felt covering her lips than any before it. Even in this unfamiliar and sequestered part of the castle, she felt oddly safe with Sirius. 

They were moving again, this time much more gently than before. He guided her to the end of a doorless hallway, sharing a searing look with her before they stopped before a blank wall. She raised her eyebrow in question, and then the wall let out an ungodly howl. 

She had read about the Room of Requirement before. 

Sometime First Year, when she was far too busy focusing on methods to remove her progenitor than to actually be intrigued by the potential implications this room had. He held her hand firm as they walked inside together, standing stiff before the doors swung shut behind them.

“I’m sorry,” He started taking a minute to pat her up and down and examine her body for any potential bruising or injuries sustained in their near literal flight about the castle. She pushed him away as he looked at her, a flash of hurt sparking behind his melty gaze.

“What in the hell Sirius!” She started, hands balling into fist at her side. 

“You go on avoiding me the past six weeks - I can’t even get a look out of you - and then you assume it’s acceptable to what? Abduct me and drag me all the way up to your side of the castle!? To the bloody Room of Requirement no less?!” 

His gaze falters a bit then, a small amount of guilt falls across his features as he reaches up to cup her face. 

“Bells-”

“No!” She interrupts, fury building as he continues to look at her as though she means anything at all to him. “You don’t get to do that Sirius. What’s the point of all this anyways? This grand display past curfew? Hm?” 

She crosses her arms in defiance, daring him with her eyes to establish any form of an excuse. He falters completely and then... 

He’s kissing her again. He’s kissing her again and she’s bloody falling into it.

 _No!_

Her mind is screaming at her, a part of her furious at the way he’s been avoiding her. As though he’s been denying that something exactly like this _something_ that is happening right now hasn’t happened before. 

Another part of her is singing.

She chooses to listen to the melody instead of the silence. 

Sirius pulls away gently and she nearly whimpers in protest, catching herself just in time. _Who in hell's name gave him the audacity to make her feel this way?_

Both of their lips are a bit swollen, and she’s still leaning heavily against him having not realized he was practically the only thing holding her up in this cluttered room. 

He looks up from her parted lips to her confused eyes, heart tearing at the twinge he sees amongst the silver in them. He pulls her to the couch, clearing some of the ridges of rubbish away for her, and then he tells her everything. 

About his friends. About his own spell of confusion. About how he feels in some way they're disappointing their parents - that they shouldn’t be doing this yet. About how scared she makes him feel sometimes. 

About how much he thinks he loves her already.

X. 

Some other Slytherin in her and Andy’s year had to gall to make up these horrid rumors about Andromeda and some Hufflepuff mudblood. 

Bellatrix managed to corner her in the common room sometime far after hours on a rainy Tuesday. The skinny halfblood was sweating through her silk at the confrontation. Bella’s smile is practically predatory. 

The squeaking girl could hardly even look Bella in the eye, mumbling quiet apologies and flinching each time Bellatrix so much as elevated her inflection. 

She made herself more than clear in the end, now fairly certain that Rita would never go on spreading such scandal concerning her family. 

She didn’t even have to use her wand. 

X.

Third Year was proving to be far more interesting than Narcissa had expected.

Today, she was walking little Reggie to the Quidditch Pitch, insistent that she support the team by watching their practices. Her cousin was more than thrilled by her sudden eagerness. He paced with her, donned in Emerald practice robes with a sleek black broom in hand. He was muttering something about CleanSweep verses Comet broomsticks, hardly sparing room for so much as a breath as he made each of his points and opinions. 

She gave a pathetic retort at some point, something about the “Starsweeper X stick, and what a performance that broom offered.” All she really knew about it was that it was the broom Bella had. 

He rambled on after that, seemingly excited that she had suddenly taken up an interest in their family’s favorite sport. 

She spotted Lucius platinum mane before they were even halfway to the Pitch. Heart fluttering with each step closer. Reggie continued to stammer on, unaware of her sudden struggle to breath properly. 

They approached the Pitch without too much of a ruckus, Bella giving her a more than puzzled look at her attendance, while Lucius shared a subtle smile. 

Yes, a far more interesting year indeed. 

X.

This term they were in Double Defense Against the Darks Arts classes. 

Per usual, Gryffindor shared these hours with Slytherin. 

Per usual, he and his cousins excelled, tremendously.

Merlin knows they’ve all been at the other end of the wand for more than one cast of Dark Magic - it’s no wonder they all had a certain _disposition_ when presented opportunities to learn of it’s defense. 

Perhaps the rest of the class was really only one Crucio shy from being just as impressive. 

Professor Aberforth, as he liked to be called, stepped in as acting Instructor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this year. It seems they are unable to maintain one Professor for longer than a few terms at most. Professor Scrimgeour was all too quick to retire when he got notification of a position opening up somewhere high-standing in the Ministry. 

Aberforth proved to have a rather intriguing perspective when it came to the defense course. Pushing students to more advanced forms of magic than they had the chance to tackle previously. 

This only proved to Sirius that he was, in fact, far cooler than his elder brother.

Today was the fourth course where Aberforth asked his student to concentrate on the concept of a Patronus charm. Today was the day they were finally going to get the chance to try and produce one. 

Sirius had seen several Patronuses before. Not at the hands of his parents of course, but throughout different visits to the Ministry and as a means of communication among many high-ranking wizards.

He had always wondered what form his own Patronus may take.

The students take up a wide span of space all scattered about among the Hogwarts grounds. Professor Aberforth demanded that students have the opportunity to practice this spell outside, something about him not wanting them to be ‘constricted to the confines of castle walls.’

Not that Sirius was complaining. 

He positioned himself closest to his friends, eyes wandering to spot Bella and Andy. The pair seemed to be comparing wrist maneuvers together, gearing up before they attempt the spell in full. 

Aberforth asks the class to please proceed one at a time. Once they all have a chance to perform he promises to l release them to practice on their own. 

“Remember students, a full Corporeal Patronus is an incredibly difficult spell to master - any portion of a Patronus spell administered here today is nothing short of an impressive feat!” 

Aberforth then goes on to explain to them, once again, the importance of a happy memory. He casted his own Patronus as an example for the class to see; a glittering goat prances freely across the open grounds, a stream of blue light racing in its wake.

The Gryffindors start the line of course. 

James the first of them all, holding his wand out firm at screaming a powerful - “Expecto Patronum!” 

Even Sirius was surprised to see the near outline of a large Stag escape James’s wand. The pseudo-deer seems to make it a much shorter distance than Aberforth’s Goat did, but is still strong enough to almost take on the form of something. Pride coursed through Sirius’s in that moment. _Leave it to James to raise the bar that high._

Peter was next. He struggled to produce any form of light at all. No one seems surprised by this. 

Remus was more successful where spell strength came in, but he too only managed to produce a strong beam of bluish light before his wand died out. They all looked to Sirius now. 

_Welp, Quaffle up. Here goes nothing._

Sirius took a deep breath, closing his eyes, the image of a daring dark dog playing across his eyelids. _Okay, dog star, time for a happy memory!_

He flicked his wrist and waited. He opened his eyes to the blue gleam trailing behind the large feathery form of Hippogriff, the beast hurtled from the end of his Ebony wand. 

“Well done my boy!” Aberforth shouted, hands clapping as he laid eyes on the hopping Hippogriff Sirius had just conjured. 

“Magical Creatures taking the form of ones Patronus is particularly rare - especially for someone of your age! Ten points to Gryffindor!” 

A part of Sirius was only slightly disappointed that his Patronus greeted him with feathers and not fur. Another part of him thought that Hippogriffs were, in fact, so _fucking_ cool. 

They moved through the rest of the line next, few and far between being able to draw an animal form out from their Patronus. Though, Sirius could’ve sworn that Lily’s almost took the form of a doe. 

They finally made it down the pack to the Slytherins, a new tension taking on as Severus stepped up to try his hand at it. He managed another impressive display of bluish light, far grander than a majority of the Gryffindors were able, but still taking on no form at all. _As expected, Snivellus._

Both he and James pointedly ignored the thumbs up of encouragement Lily shared with the snake. 

Evan Rosier and Thorfinn Rowle both produced fairly pathetic results. Before long it was finally Bella’s turn. Sirius held his breath in anticipation, and it almost appeared as though he wasn’t the only one. All of the students seemed to have a hush fall upon them, the atmosphere writ with anticipation for another Black. 

A large flash of blue light erupted from Bella’s wand, so blinding at first Sirius had to cover his own face. The flash was out almost as quickly as it started. 

_Had he missed it?_

Bellatrix seemed just as perplexed. Stepping back into line with a near slack jaw staring at her wand as though it had betrayed her. He had to force himself to not walk over to her, couldn’t understand how he was able to produce a Corporeal Patronus if she could not. 

Something must be wrong. 

Andromeda hesitated for a moment too before she stepped up following her sister. 

She spoke quieter than Bellatrix had, and yet.. 

A small Horned Serpent slithered it’s way out of the end of her Hawthorne. The Slytherins gasped, many of them letting out a small cheer for the magical creature bathed in blue before them. 

“Well done Ms. Black! 10 points to Slytherin for another magical creature!” 

Andy smiled at his words, seeming nearly uncomfortable at his praise, as though it was something she didn’t receive often. Or so it seemed to Sirius, at least. 

He saw Bellatrix give her arm a soft squeeze, smiling at her sister in encouragement when Andy stepped back in line. 

Even from here, Sirius could see the smile didn’t meet her eyes. 

X.

Bellatrix works Lucius extra hard in practice this week. Punishment for their narrow win against the Ravenclaw team last game, and punishment for the vested interest he’s been paying her youngest sister.

_Her thirteen year old, Third Year sister!_

Narcissa was the only one of the three of them not already aligned in a marriage arrangement. With her and Sirius’s future already written in the stars, and Andy promised to the younger LeStrange sibling. 

Sure, there was something to be benefited from a match with Malfoy. He was certainly a member of another strong and ancient house, and with house Black already tied to Rosier, Prewett and Crabbe she supposed it did make sense that they branch out a bit more. 

Regulus was also still open for contract. Leave it to her family to save the two youngest Blacks as pawns to broker peace in the ever ominous future. 

Perfect Pureblood Politics. 

X.

She meets Sirius in the Room of Requirement almost weekly now. 

Bella wonders if his friends pester him about his persistent disappearances as much as her sisters pick at her. She can’t manage to tell them exactly where she’s been going just yet - she’s a bit worried Peeves will catch on before she even gets the chance too. 

They’ve been extra careful as of late. Entering the chamber at entirely separate times, and certain to keep on eye out for any potential spectators. 

It’s almost unfair that the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor dormitories fall on this floor as well.

They’re resting against the now empty sofa again, snuggling into each other at almost odd angles as they gossip. It feels so good (feels right?) to be able to talk to him like this again. 

He catches her up on his latest escapade, sparing no details about every shade and stain present on Snape’s undergarments as he hung, mid-air and upside down, on display before the Black Lake. She regrets not being there to see it herself, but only partly. 

It doesn’t take long for him to bring up the Patronus charm. She dodges his question, doing her best to mask her own disappointment at her lack of effectiveness. 

“We can practice it here if you’d like!” Her eyebrows knit, she hopes the impatience and annoyance she’s feeling shine through well enough in her light grey eyes. “Come on Bells!” He whines, giving her a kiss on said knitted brow before pulling her to her feet.

“Let’s just try it! We both know you can nearly best me in every other thing, there’s no reason for this to be an exception.” 

She didn’t know how to tell him how much she struggled to think of a happy thought. 

How she forced herself to picture the soft beaches in the South of France, or the laughing of the five of them as they raced through Grimmauld Place, or even the calling of a Slytherin win after a particularly taxing game of Quidditch. 

“Please..” He starts again, planting a firm kiss on her forehead before following up with- “I want to know what your Patronus will look like! Don’t you?” 

How could she say no? 

How could she ever say no to such a genuine gaze? 

He has so much faith that she can do this, believing in her far more than she had ever really believed in herself. She draws a deep breath as she steps back, wand at the ready, her eyes close tightly. 

_Summers spent in strong arms. Nights locked away among citadels of clutter, basking in one another. Silver eyes staring back at her with such sincerity._

She opens her eyes again when a blue gleam overtakes the dark room they’re hiding away in. Mouth dropping in disbelief at the shape flying high above the vanishing cabinet before her. 

An Augurey soars through the Room of Requirement. Proud and strong. 

X. 

She and Andy always bring back candy for Regulus and Narcissa from Hogsmead. 

Cauldron Cakes and Sugar Quills lay picked apart on the floor of the Slytherin Common room, the four of them laughing as Andy explains the details of Rodolphous attempted fight with some happy little Hufflepuff. 

"He didn't even realize that LeStrange was ready to knock his eye out!' She exclaims, shooting a fist in the air for emphasis. 

Regulus cackled, spilling a fair bit of Bertie Botts Beans across the leather couch -"What a bloody idiot!" He adds, following up with a comment about how large LeStrange is, even wands aside it was far from a fair fight. 

"They're all idiots!" Bella emphasizes, stealing a handful of Every Flavour Beans from Regulus's box. 

Cissy and Reggie agree with her. Andy does not. 

X.

Bella wastes a far larger portion of the end of term than she would like sitting in the Headmaster’s office. She’s grateful that it’s for the _right_ reasons, but regrets her time here nonetheless.

He’s been spending a significant portion of their little courses lately explaining things to her. 

This time he explains that his time instructing her outside of the classroom will soon be coming to an end. He explains a growing force that has been distracting him and the Aurors as of late. Explains the formation of a group, a group rising in the defense of magic, saving it from those who would rather seek out the dark. The black. 

He explains to her something about ‘a war is coming.’ 

She can’t help but agree with him. For once. 

X.

She and Sirius get Prefect invitations sometime over summer. She only knows this because he writes to her about it, excitement bouncing off the page with every word. She almost hates how eager she is to write him back sharing the sentiment. Almost. 

Andromeda pretends not to notice the badges. She hasn’t gotten her letter yet. 

Bellatrix pretends not to notice Andromeda not noticing. 

Her badge will basically be hidden behind her hair anyways. 

X. 

_“You will do proud by this Family. You will keep this bloodline pure. That is not a choice.”_

Cygnus is spitting on her face with each phrase, mouth so close she can feel his breath on her as he pins her to the mattress. 

_“This name lives on long after you. This House exists with or without you.”_

He thrusts into her between commands, each more brutal and bloody, as though in some way his motion makes his words more effective. 

_“Remember. Your blood runs Black first.”_

Bellatrix's head is banging against an Ebony headboard. Beautiful and Broken. 

X.

They’re finally able to enroll in official dueling practice Fifth Year. This in congruence with studying for their O.W.L.S is certain to make for an exceptionally trying term. 

Good.

Bellatrix could use the distraction. 

A summer spent entirely in Ebony Estates had proved positively grueling. She slept little. 

Now, she needed to blow off any form of steam. Lucky for her, it just so happened that her favorite way of doing so came in the form of rather impressive hexes. _It be nice to be on the other end of someone groveling on their knees for a change._

Salazar help her, she really did need to relax. 

Bellatrix makes it through nearly the entirety of the Fifth Year Hufflepuffs, stopping just before a boy named Ted Tonks, when Professor Shacklebolt steps in. He’s quick to remind her that laughter has no place on the battlefield. 

‘Were she ever to be in a real duel he hopes she wouldn’t find it nearly as.. humorous.’ 

He invites one of her fellows to step up to the platform. Rod is all too eager to take her place, sharing with her an approving nod before hopping up onto the platform. She rolls her eyes at his gesture. _As though she was eager for Rodolphus's approval? Please._

Her hands are still tingling with the urge to dispel more magic, her mind still a jumble of curses just begging to be liberated. 

It’s a pity Shacklebolt stopped her. 

She was just getting started. 

X.

She officially meets his friends for the first time stowed away in the stairwell of the Astronomy Tower long after hours. 

She, Sirius, and Amelia are the only Prefects among the bunch, but she learned that James, Peter and.. Remus was it? Are able to maneuver about the castle without causing much of a disturbance at all. Sirius whispers something about a secret cloak and a magic map before Remus delivers a warning glare and James smacks him square on the shoulder. Bella smirks at their dynamic.

Amelia presents as almost more nervous than she, immediately insisting that they pour out the alcohol. Some shots out to change the atmosphere. 

“See! I told you they were fun!” Sirius exclaims, cheering a clunking cup with she and Amelia, waiting on his friends to join in. James seems reluctant, sharing a squint with Bellatrix.

“You know if I didn’t know any better,” He starts, lifting his glass to meet theirs in the air. “I’d say Black is just trying to get us hungover for our match against Ravenclaw tomorrow.” 

“Am I that obvious!?” She smirks, meeting jest with jest, and to her surprise he actually muffles a small laugh. 

“It’s a good thing a proper Chaser’s can still manage a win without foul play then.” He offers, meeting her eye, glass still in the air. _Cheeky._

“Remind me about that when they finally put your name on one of those trophies, will you?”

He scoffs at that, but only to hide his growing smile. The glasses clash following her remark, finally joined by both Remus and Peter. 

“I’ll drink to that! Anything that can knock James off his pretty little pedestal.. ‘Least a few pegs!” Remus adds after a deep swig. 

“Yeah he really has become a bit of a wanker, ‘least ever since Evans finally accepted his hand in marriage!” 

“We’re not engaged, you pissed face plague rat!” James threw a swing at Peter then, who was still busy balancing his mug and laughing at his friend's expense, Remus quick to step in and try and hold the two apart. James screaming something about 'just a girlfriend.' Sirius looked to Bellatrix, sharing a wink with her before raising his glass again. _Oh, to be engaged._ They both shared a sip together.

She glanced over to her right then, noticing then that Amelia’s been particularly quiet the past few moments. _That’s certainly unusual..._ Her jaw dropped. 

“You downed the whole mug in one go of it?!” 

The boys howled in laughter at Milly’s brazen grin, cheering as she filled up the glass again. 

“It’s not my fault the rest of you are slower than a two-footed Tebo!” 

They all laughed then, Sirius taking a seat next to her on the stone staircase while the rest of the crew followed Amelia’s lead, reaching eagerly for the rest of the Goblin Grade Gin. 

She woke up still drunk early the next morning... in the Gryffindor common room. 

_Christ._

X.

Quidditch had suddenly become a lot more fun now that she felt she actually knew some players across enemy lines. 

Being competitive went hand in hand with being a Black after all. They seemed to share the sentiment. Unlucky for them, she was fortunate enough to be exceptionally gifted when it came to the art of toying with one’s opponent. 

She spent careful time antagonizing James and Peter on the field, almost proud that she could get such a rise out of the Chaser and so many additional bludgers sent her way from the Beater. 

That was practically a victory in and of itself.

Regulus seemed to pick up on her antics as well. Spending more time spinning around Sirius than searching for the snitch. She only had to bark at him once before he reluctantly got back to it. 

Bellatrix didn’t even have to try and distract Sirius. 

That was another small victory. 

Salt to the wound that Slytherin once again won the Quidditch cup.

She’d only have to remind them about it a few thousand times. 

X. 

Peeves is driving her wild. 

This pestering poltergeist chanting verse after verse of his incessant, inaccurate, mockery of a song. 

She told him enough times, it **wasn’t** true. 

Narcissa seems just as uneasy. Following Bella throughout the castle corridors on her rampage to find Andromeda, Peeves never far behind the pair of them, still singing. 

They spot her sitting on some bench in the South Tower, talking adamantly about God knows what with Euphemia Rowle, of all people. 

“You’ll have to come see the Rye someday Andromeda! I think you'd positively love it!” The churning in Bella’s ears drown out Euphemia’s words, just as they do Cissy’s intransigent cries of ‘Wait B'!’

They all freeze as she comes to an electrifying halt before her middle sister. Fire in her eyes.

“Tell me it’s not true.” 

Bellatrix starts, teeth clenched so tightly that perhaps they just split in two and she’ll look the part of someone who just escaped a life sentence. Andy gapes at her, eyes racking across her figure noting the flexed fist and bulging vein along her throat.

_“You will do proud by this Family. You will keep this bloodline pure. That is not a choice.”_

Andy can’t even answer her. 

Bella sees red, feeling as though her eyes may just melt in her skull right then and there, all too reminiscent of the burn of that follows the Cruciatus Curse. She read Andy’s reaction before she even had a chance to defend herself. _Why do you have to make things so impossible!_ Spinning on one heel to remove herself from the situation before she whips out her wand.

 _I will not let you hurt my sisters._

_I will **never** hurt my sisters._

Peeves still is chanting somewhere behind her: 

“Teddy and Andy, both so fine and dandy!” 

X. 

He shows her the mandrake leaf as they’re wrapping up rounds in the Library. He’s teeming with excitement, she can’t help but raise an eyebrow at his enthusiasm, a small smile playing at her lips. 

“Does Professor Sprout know you managed to knick one of these?” 

He laughs at the question. Wrapping an arm around her and swinging her about among the bookshelves before trapping her in a swift snog. _Subtle, Siri._

It’s nice to be with him like this. She doesn’t have to think about anything else, he brings sound to the screaming silence she lives in. 

All the antics with Andromeda have her more on edge than anything, it was so easy to forget about the properties of _pureblood_ when she wasn’t paying attention. 

Andy continued to bring about each and every disquisition to the forefront of her mind. They hadn't spoken in days, yet still anxiety blossomed in Bella’s chest at the very thought of Ted Tonks. Her family would eat him alive. 

_Just like they would eat Andromeda alive too._

She breaks the kiss then. Surprised that the dread was still able to mount up inside her with Sirius so close. She hides it, of course, standing up on her tiptoes to rest her forehead against his before asking: 

“Seriously. Why risk your neck for a little leaf?”

He promises to tell her about it later. For once, she doesn’t mind waiting. 

X.

They spent Yule the five of them again, at Ebony Estates of course. 

Cassiopeia and Marius arrive early this year, having heard that Aunt Lucretia and Uncle Ignatius had opted to spend the holiday with the Black side of the family after their niece made a sham match with one of those halfwit Weasleys. 

Understandable.

Druella took their coming as an excuse to host a full blown Yuletide Ball.

Of course, all the children had to play the proper pureblood part. She and Sirius in particular, sharing a firm handshake and a proper curtsy with each family that arrived at the Eve Feast. 

They were very _gently_ coached beforehand of course. Wands stiff in their faces as they were reminded again and again how crucial it was as the Black Family heirs to spend just the appropriate amount of time in discussion with each family present. 

Of course, Druella had extended invitations to nearly all of the Sacred Twenty-Eight this year. The festivity was certain to be published about in the Prophet due strictly to the notoriety of the guests in attendance. The decor was also absurd, not quite grandeur as the Gaunts had once been, but the Black’s seemed to spare no expense this year.

Carrow’s, Flint’s, Greengrass’s, LeStrange’s, Malfoy’s, Selwyn’s, Traver’s, and of course, the Rosier’s made an appearance. 

_Practically the entire Slytherin Quidditch team._

Narcissa was swept away by Lucius almost immediately. 

Bella did her best to keep an eye on the pair but got a fair bit distracted by Druella and Abraxas’s adamant discussion about a potential match. So much so, in fact that she lost track of her and Sirius’s conversations with the Greengrass family entirely. 

Sure, she approved of Lucius, but Narcissa was, and still is, a _baby._ She had no business being paired off anytime soon. Andy agreed with her, at least. 

_Where was Andromeda?_

Bellatrix had been looking around for her hopelessly for the past hour, peeking over pureblood physiques in an effort to spy the brunette. She scanned the ballroom for a towering Rabastan, figuring he would be much easier to spot than his intended. Instead she only witnessed him sneaking some undisclosed liquor along with his obnoxious elder brother. _She and Sirius should have thought of that._

A seedy looking Selwyn stepped up to them following greetings with the Greengrass’s, eager for a quick conversation. _Woes of being the true Scions._ She supposed, doing her best not to look him up and down in disgust. Sirius was less successful. She could feel him losing patience beside her, he always did have much less of a temperament for politics than she did.

Regulus stumbled by the group while in the middle of Selwyn’s thrilling thesis, Sirius instantly took the opportunity to toss him in the mix. She’s just lucky he let him escape with her. 

She may have said something slightly heinous about Carrow to Sirius on their way towards the other side of the ballroom, his laughter rang across the dancing figures almost too loud. She could feel Cygnus glare on the two of them from across the room. She could do without that. 

Her father interrupted all festivities then with the brief clinking of silver against China. His very presence commanded the attention of all the Houses in an instant. _Most noble and ancient for a reason._

She still couldn’t find Andy.

X.

They had all shifted to a separate parlor room following the thirteenth course. 

The children, as they were still referred to, were forced into attendance as well. _Joy._ It wasn’t until the adults were far into their dessert wines that talk of the ‘Dark Lord’ erupted across the long table. Sirius bristled immediately.

They had begun to refer to him as Lord Voldemort at Grimmauld Place, Walburgha preferred to use that title at least. Sirius refused to refer to him as anything at all. He saw the papers, read the reviews, he knew exactly what this Voldemort figure was responsible for. 

His performances on muggles were no doubt the things that kept Lily up late most evenings in the castle, anxiety streamline across her features as she poured over the Daily Prophet. He hated seeing her like that. He knew James hated it more. The first time he caught her up late was also the first time she caught him sneaking in after a tryst spent in the Room of Requirement with Bella. 

Bellatrix. 

She seemed far too intrigued in the conversations. Eyes darting back and forth between the hollering adults. 

_“This is the movement families like us have been waiting for!”_

_“It’s about time some started taking a stance of prestige in our world!”_

_“Our children by no means should be forced to learn magic alongside the **filth** they allow within the castle!”_

Sirius’s hands balled into first beneath the table. His friends were far from filth. He felt Bella nudge his shin lightly, and only then did he realize how tightly he was clenching his jaw. His growing rage must be clear across his features, or at least clear enough to her. He tried to shake some of the tension. It was to little avail. 

What he saw next only added fuel to his already flourishing fire. 

“That’s why it’s so _important_ to keep our pureblood between the families!” Cygnus started, voice booming and once again calling for the attention of all those present. “Can’t have our proper girls spreading their legs for any halfbreed lucky enough to land himself in Hogwarts!” 

He didn’t miss the way his Uncle grabbed onto Bella’s slim thigh as he spoke, the possessive nature of his gestures in congruence with his words. Sirius couldn’t hear the rest of what he was saying over the resounding ringing in his ears. 

_Let go of her._

He could’ve sworn his Uncle sensed his turmoil. Dark grey eyes turning to look into his own shining silver ones, almost in provocation. His wand hand twitched. 

Andromeda barreling through the parlor room doors was certainly a welcomed distraction. 

Druella fussed immediately. Out of her chair, and nearly out the door with Andy, before Cygnus interrupted. 

“Andromeda, so glad you could join us.” He started, words nearly slurring as he swallowed another gulp of 1756 FireWhiskey. There was a quiet buzz about the room, many families sharing a look, Sirius couldn’t tell if the disapproval was aimed at Andy or at Cygnus’s self-evident sloppiness. 

“What a beautiful girl I’ve created ‘gents, wouldn’t you say?” He offered his question to the room, receiving a round of affirmations from the men in attendance. Something about the comment was so entirely _off_. 

“A pity, she’s just not quite as pretty as her elder sister.”

The men of the room laughed. They _laughed._

Bellatrix was entirely rigid now, eyes straight ahead and denying to meet Sirius’s own. Cygnus’s hand still rests on her lap when Druella finally escorted a shellshocked Andy out.

_”You’ll share my room tonight.”_

Sirius whispered to her, some point later in the evening when talk of ‘Lords’ and ‘mudbloods’ had since died down.

It’s the first time she looked even one part relieved since the start of the celebrations. 

X.

Andromeda knows she’s going to be punished. 

She should’ve been here. Should’ve been chaperoning Cissa and balancing out Bella. She should’ve known better. 

They’ve always told her in one way or another that she was the worst of them. _Never as pretty as Bellatrix, never as proper as Narcissa, never enough Andromeda!_

Even Aunt Cassie looked disappointed tonight.

 _Perhaps she knew exactly where I was._

She’s up half the night pacing and processing. Mentally preparing for the misery that lingers with every cruciatus curse, the blinding red light that swallows your vision at the very utterance. 

Andy shivers. 

_Is it worth it Ted? Is this worth it Ted?_

It isn’t until sometime just after the hour of the wolf that she hears him slip into the small sitting room before her chamber. 

And suddenly, it’s as though she’s forgotten how to breath, let alone how to scream. Cemented in her silence, he takes her with little hesitancy.

 _“My beautiful Bella.”_

He whispers in her ear, as though it were a lullaby. _No. No not Bella._ She thinks, hating herself because secretly she wished that it was. 

The next morning when Andy feels sick, sick, sick.. it’s only for herself. 

She wonders how many baths it takes for her sister to feel clean again. 

She thinks she’d rather drown instead. 

X.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This chapter was supposed to go all the way through the end of Bella, Sirius and Andromeda's schooling, but I was close to 17,000 words. Yikes. It felt wrong to toss it all in there together, so here's a bit more rising action for you guys before we get to the good stuff. 
> 
> Next chapter is when we really pop the fuck off though. Finally. 
> 
> I should probably admit defeat and add a tag of Bellatrix-Centric to this... I keep meaning to add more from Narcissa's and Regulus's perspectives. All I can say is I promise it's coming!! This family is so full of darkness like there's so much to explore here. Lol - I really though I could have this wrapped up in three chapters or less initially. 
> 
> Side note: Please message me if you have any thoughts about the Black family's Patronus - I have a lot to say about the topic.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading.


End file.
